How Do You Carry Your Gun in the Field?

[Phil V.]

Dends on which gun I'm using. If hunting rabbit I use my .410,it's broke open because it's old enough that it does not have a safety on it. Same way with my single shot 20 ga.. The 10/22 that I have has a safety on it and is always on when hunting. My double 20 is broke open with shells in it unless stopped to do some talking then it's broke open and no shells in it.

 

[Dakotazeb]

Well first off let me say safety is always my first priority while in the field. Honestly Zeb I've seen the "safety" make people sloppy with their gun handling, my dad is a prime example of thus. His muzzle is always pointing at someone but its alright cause the safety is on and he's not the only one I've seen do this. The majority of my hunting is for quail in rough cover behind springers who like to push the limits, and that doesn't leave much time for a clean shot. You will NEVER see my finger anywhere near the trigger or my muzzle pointed anywhere but in a safe direction. When footing gets iffy the safety goes on (i usually forget to take it off) until the next bird or until the footing gets better. I taught myself how to hunt and if I have kids I will make them use their safety but I will not let them get safety lazy.

Leaving the safety off to enable a quicker shot is a very poor reason. If you need to get off that fast a shot you might as well have the gun to your shoudler too! When a bird flushes I take the safety off all in one motion while raising the gun to my shoulder. No extra time required. I've hunted ruffed grouse in the woods and that requires a quicker shot than any quail. Never had a problem getting the safe off in those situations.

I just have a very strong opinion that having the safety off while in the field is WRONG! And like I asked before, "Would you teach your son/daughter or any other youngster to hunt with the safety off?"

And your comment about the safety making people sloppy in their gun handling is absurd. Sorry to come down on you like this but your hunting style is an accident waiting to happen. I would hope you change your "safety off" thinking.

 

[quail hound]

Absurd? Really? How many times have you heard "hey watch where you're pointing that thing" and the reply is "what? The safety's on." Not saying its true for everyone but it does happen. My safety is on roughly 50% of the time in the field but it is safely handled 100% of the time and my index finger is never anywhere near the trigger unless a bird is in the air. I think the idea that a gun being safe/ unsafe based on whether or not the safety is on absurd. Sorry Zeb I've only been hunting for 5 seasons now, I know you have years of experience on me and I respect your opinions but shouldering my gun and pushing the safety just isn't second nature to me. Maybe its something I should work on.

 

[Tbear]

Safety is always on. There is no excuse for it not to be. There are to many what ifs that could happen. What if you fall down the the trigger get bumped what if a stick pulls the trigger. I have done my fair share of grouse hunting and its some fast shooting but the safety is always on. 1 bird is not worth my life, a friends life or my dogs. As the gun goes up the safety comes off. A gun is never safe even if its unloaded 1st rule you learn in gun safety. Sorry for the rant but that is the way everyone should be no excuses no exceptions.

 

[GustavDaGSP]

I couldnt agree more with ZEB or Tbear safety first plenty of birds out there to pass on and have another day to have a chance at them like they have said if safety is not first then consider yourself lucky so far you have not shot a dog or a person No bird is ever going to be worth more than a person's life and im sure you put a high value on your dogs also ..

 

[Dakotazeb]

Absurd? Really? How many times have you heard "hey watch where you're pointing that thing" and the reply is "what? The safety's on." Not saying its true for everyone but it does happen. My safety is on roughly 50% of the time in the field but it is safely handled 100% of the time and my index finger is never anywhere near the trigger unless a bird is in the air. I think the idea that a gun being safe/ unsafe based on whether or not the safety is on absurd. Sorry Zeb I've only been hunting for 5 seasons now, I know you have years of experience on me and I respect your opinions but shouldering my gun and pushing the safety just isn't second nature to me. Maybe its something I should work on.

I agree that a safety is not an excuse for poor gun handling. The two go hand in hand. A person that is safe with his/her gun in the field will also have the safety "ON". I think myself and others have made our point here. What you are doing it unsafe and certainly not something any gun safety instructor would teach or recommend. Maybe you should attend a gun safety course since, as you said, you are somewhat inexperienced in the field.

 

[quail hound]

..........

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

Practice in the living room, it's easy to do and becomes second nature. I use my thumb on a rear mounted semi. My safety goes off right before I tuck the gun into my shoulder. By that time I know weather I intend to shoot or not.....Zero difference in how fast the gun comes up.

 

[quail hound]

Practice in the living room, it's easy to do and becomes second nature. I use my thumb on a rear mounted semi. My safety goes off right before I tuck the gun into my shoulder. By that time I know weather I intend to shoot or not.....Zero difference in how fast the gun comes up.

Thanks BDC2, I will do that. Very nice of you to give advice instead of taking a holier than thou stance.:cheers:

 

[OldDublin]

Absurd? Really? How many times have you heard "hey watch where you're pointing that thing" and the reply is "what? The safety's on." Not saying its true for everyone but it does happen. My safety is on roughly 50% of the time in the field but it is safely handled 100% of the time and my index finger is never anywhere near the trigger unless a bird is in the air. ...

Just some considerations re a scattergun's safety and the fallacy of 100%.

1) One's trigger finger, gloved or not, on the shooting hand is very often near the trigger...kinda difficult to prevent that occurence when carrying the gun.

2) One can trip when afield or step in a snow-covered badger hole, I certainly have done both, and a scattergun off safe, irregardless of interecepting sears, can then be a bad issue.

3) One can, in brush, have some....thing... other than a finger kiss the trigger a bit too hard...that from 46 seasons after Bonasa U.

A safety slide or button on a scattergun is not a guarantor of safety....it is only an aid to carrying and manipualting a scattergun safely.
At that it excells....consider using it other than when halfway thru the mount.
The dog would be my concern otherwise.

 

[Phil V.]

QH; I get the same from some friends of mine. The 20 double that I bought last fall is the first shotgun that has a safety on it that I own. Iknow it's going to take me some time to get used to it.That's why I hunt by myself a lot so I don't have to listen to people complaining about me not being used to having a safety on my gun. Any more I hunt with just one person when I go hunting for anything.I was raised with guns that are old enough that they don't have a safety on them. The reason we had guns like that is because we did not have money to spare to get one new enough to have a safety on it. My dad worked 2 jobs till I went to high school and my mom worked as well. When I got into high school I started working full time to help pay bills.

 

[quail hound]

I'm more concerned with other things when hunting with new people like ground sluceing a bird or shooting a rabbit for the dogs, these two things for me are big no no's and I make sure people know that. There are only 2 people I trust to shoot a rabbit my dogs flush, myself and my brother.

 

[V-John]

Practice in the living room, it's easy to do and becomes second nature. I use my thumb on a rear mounted semi. My safety goes off right before I tuck the gun into my shoulder. By that time I know weather I intend to shoot or not.....Zero difference in how fast the gun comes up.

I used to have a Remington 870 that was the only gun I shot. I carried it with the safety on of course.

But I got to the point where when I shouldered it to fire, I would naturally turn off the safety to get it ready to fire. I wouldn't even know or notice that I was doing this. Fire, then push the safety back on.

I got this way with my O/U too. Don't even know I'm doing it.

 

[OldDublin]

I'm more concerned with other things when hunting with new people like ground sluceing a bird or shooting a rabbit for the dogs, these two things for me are big no no's and I make sure people know that.....

If so, then you may become involved in a sad statistic.

Whatever your level of experience, I would suggest you take to heart what has been offered to you in the spirit of safety for your dog, your friends and yourself.
Reverse is a very profitable gear, in a vehicle and in Life choices.

 

[jeffstally]

I was taught by my dad and grandpa (and state mandated firearms safety classes) that the safety is ALWAYS on until the second you intend to shoot. Even when the safety is on and the gun unloaded, you still make sure that the gun is pointed in a 100% safe direction. Treat every gun as if it were to go off unpredictably.

QH, I am not passing judgement on you. I actually thought you were kidding when you first said you leave your safety off. I would ask you to please, for the sake of your hunting partners and dogs, practice using your safety 100% of the time. There is plenty of time when a bird flushes. Practice this at the range shooting clays this summer.

I do agree with you that many people do treat a gun that has the safety on as safe enough to not worry where the muzzle is pointed and that is poor hunting etiquette as well.

Please do not take it personal, but if someone I was hunting with was found to not be using their safety I would certainly not hunt with them again and probably not finish out the day. The reason for this is that above all, I need to go home to my wife and kids at the end of the day.

Hopefully everyone at our UPH hunt on Saturday used their safeties all day. From what I saw, everyone handled their firearms very well.

 

[jeffstally]

I'm more concerned with other things when hunting with new people like ground sluceing a bird or shooting a rabbit for the dogs, these two things for me are big no no's and I make sure people know that. There are only 2 people I trust to shoot a rabbit my dogs flush, myself and my brother.

+1 on no ground sluicing. Birds on the ground are ALWAYS for the dogs, birds in the air above eye level and in a safe direction are for my Benelli.

 

[quail hound]

Thanks BDC2, I will do that. Very nice of you to give advice instead of taking a holier than thou stance.:cheers:

Old Dublin, please read BDC2's advice to me and my response on the previous page. I now understand why upland hunting is a dieing sport, very hard to get into if its not a family tradition.

 

[jeffstally]

Old Dublin, please read BDC2's advice to me and my response on the previous page. I now understand why upland hunting is a dieing sport, very hard to get into if its not a family tradition.

No one in my family upland hunts. They are fair weather deer hunters at best. I have to drag my dad out the chase roosters.

Does California have a required firearms safety course?

 

[koja48]

How many times have you heard "hey watch where you're pointing that thing" and the reply is "what? The safety's on."

Never! But if I ever do, I'll never give such a fool the opportunity to repeat that to me ever again. I'm damn picky about firearms safety in general & in particular when it comes to folks with whom I occasionally hunt.

 

[quail hound]

No one in my family upland hunts. They are fair weather deer hunters at best. I have to drag my dad out the chase roosters.

Does California have a required firearms safety course?

Yes, I took it when I was 10 or 11 and never went hunting until grandpa gave me his shotgun when I was 20. Hunters in general are an exclusive group, complaining about the good old days long gone and giving mostly disparaging remarks to a new guy trying to figure it out. Luckily I worked it out on my own and fell in love with it. I'm kinda glad I wasn't around for the "good ol' days" because I'm very satisfied with a long walk with a dog and no birds bagged.:cheers: